An Evaluation of Arizona’s Federal Pandemic Recovery Investments in Child Care: Landscape, Findings, and Implications for the Early Care and Learning System
July 2025
Authors: Dr. Brittany Alexander, Dr. Shantel Meek, Dr. Cinthia Palomino, Dr. Darielle Blevins, Dr. Eric Bucher, Dr. Afua Ameley-Quaye, Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin, Dr. Evandra Catherine and Pranshu Mihirbhai Jayswal
In this report, we share the findings of an evaluation of COVID-19 pandemic-era federal relief dollars and their use in the child care system in Arizona.
In December of 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act which included $10 billion in funding for child care for states. In March of 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was passed by Congress which included $39 billion in new child care funding. These funds were allocated to state Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies to be distributed. In Arizona as the CCDF Lead Agency, the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) Division of Child Care was tasked with this role. Between 2022 and 2024, the CEP examined DES activities funded by these additional child care funds and the implications of these investments in the Arizona child care system including access to child care, supports for the early childhood workforce, and the improvement of health, safety, and quality of child care. In this report, we lay out the background and context, data sources and analyses, key findings, and recommendations.
Suggested Citation:
Alexander, B. L., Meek, S., Palomino, C., Blevins, D., Bucher, E.Z., Ameley-Quaye, A., Soto-Boykin, X., Catherine, E., & Mihirbhai Jayswal, P. (July 2025). An Evaluation of Arizona’s Federal Pandemic Recovery Investments in Child Care: Landscape, Findings, and Implications for the Early Care and Learning System. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. https://cep.asu.edu/resources/AnEvaluationofArizona'sFederalPandemicRecoveryInvestments.
A Profile of Child Care for Children Involved in the Child Welfare System
July 2025
Authors: Dr. Cinthia Palomino, Dr. Shantel Meek, Dr. Brittany Alexander, Dr. Eric Bucher, Dr. Darielle Blevins, and Pranshu Mihirbhai Jayswal
An area of interest for Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) has been to look carefully into the rates of authorization and utilization of subsidies for children in the child welfare system, who are categorically eligible for child care subsidy.
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation: Palomino, C., Meek, S., Alexander, B. L., Bucher, E.Z., Blevins, D., & Mihirbhai Jayswal, P. (July, 2025). A Profile of Child Care for Children Involved in the Child Welfare System. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. https://cep.asu.edu/resources/AnEvaluationofArizona'sFederalPandemicRecoveryInvestments.
Exploring Child Care Subsidy Contracting Patterns in Arizona: Enablers and Barriers
July 2025
Authors: Dr. Darielle Blevins, Dr. Eric Bucher, Dr. Brittany Alexander, and Dr. Shantel Meek
In this report, we share an extension of the Evaluation of Arizona’s Federal Pandemic Recovery Investments in Child Care. This extension was motivated by a finding that the number of child care providers contracted with the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to serve children receiving child care subsidies had declined since the early 2000s. This extension aimed to explore the potential reasons for this decline. We examined the landscape of contracted providers, enablers or barriers to becoming a contracted provider, and reasons providers are not contracted. To address these questions, we combined administrative data, Child Care Provider Pandemic Relief Experiences Survey data (“provider survey”), and DES contracted status focus groups.
Suggested Citation:
Blevins, D., Bucher, E.Z., Alexander, B. L., & Meek, S. (July, 2025). Exploring Child Care Subsidy Contracting Patterns in Arizona: Enablers and Barriers. The Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University. https://cep.asu.edu/resources/AnEvaluationofArizona'sFederalPandemicRecoveryInvestments.
How did federal pandemic funding affect child care in Arizona?
Arizona received more than $1.3 billion in federal child care pandemic relief funding through three federal spending packages. This evaluation focuses on how the Arizona Department of Economic Security used funds from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and the American Rescue Plan Act. The Children’s Equity Project examined activities from 2022 to 2024 and their implications for child care access, the early childhood workforce, and program health, safety, and quality. cep.asu.edu
The report examines three major investments: Child Care Stabilization Grants, increases in the rates paid to providers serving children with subsidies, and Arizona Child Care Infrastructure Grants for facility improvements. It also considers what happened when providers received multiple forms of support and what needs remained as temporary relief funding ended.
Are children involved in Arizona’s child welfare system using child care subsidies?
Children involved in Arizona’s child welfare system are categorically eligible for child care subsidies. This companion report examines the gap between being authorized for a subsidy and using one, along with children’s continuity of care and the characteristics of providers serving them. The Children's Equity Project
Across the period studied, 14,315 children involved in the child welfare system were authorized for child care subsidies at some point. The statewide percentage using subsidies in a given month ranged from 61% to 72%. Among children who attended child care, 82% stayed with the same provider for their period of attendance, while 52% attended for six months or longer.
What affects providers’ decisions to contract with Arizona DES?
This companion report investigates why child care providers do or do not contract with the Arizona Department of Economic Security to serve children receiving subsidies. It combines administrative data, a provider survey, and focus groups to examine contracting patterns and providers’ experiences with the process. cep.asu.edu
The report found that the overall number of contracted providers remained largely consistent during the period it examined, but the pattern differed by provider type. Its analysis found small increases among contracted licensed centers and group homes and a 25% decrease in family child care providers. Providers described paperwork, the time required, difficulty getting timely answers, and managing requirements across state systems as barriers to contracting.
Frequently Asked Questions
It examines stabilization grants, child care subsidy reimbursement rate increases, infrastructure grants, and other supports related to access, the workforce, health, safety, and quality.
Providers could use the grants for needs including personnel, facilities, rent or utilities, goods and services, mental health supports, and protective equipment.
Pandemic relief was temporary. The evaluation examines providers’ reported concerns, plans, and remaining needs after stabilization grant funding ended in September 2023.
No. The report distinguishes children authorized to receive a subsidy from children who used subsidized care. Monthly statewide utilization among children involved in the child welfare system ranged from 61% to 72% during the period examined.
The report identified 1,113 providers serving these children, representing 44% of DES-authorized providers in its analysis.
Yes. It looks at whether children remained with the same provider and how long they attended care, alongside authorization and subsidy use.
DES contracts with providers to serve children and families receiving child care assistance. The number and types of participating providers affect the range of care available to families using subsidies.
Providers reported administrative paperwork and time, difficulty obtaining timely technical assistance or answers, and challenges managing requirements across multiple state early childhood systems.
No. Although the total remained largely consistent, the report found small increases among licensed centers and group homes and a decline in family child care providers.